Abstract

Adderall abuse and mood disorders like anxiety and depression are highly prevalent amongst college students. Commonly cited reasons for using Adderall without a prescription by college students are for “studying/schoolwork” and for “recreation/partying.” Adderall also has a number of physiological effects, some of which affect the diet. Misuse of Adderall has been attributed to impaired mood regulation. This study was conducted to determine what associations exist between diet, Adderall use/abuse, and mood regulation among college students. The study was conducted using an anonymous online survey. The survey was administered using a Google form and asked questions regarding participants’ demographic information, questions related to their diets, mood during the last month, knowledge about Adderall, and their Adderall usage history. 137 participants between the ages of 18-29 completed the survey, the vast majority of whom were undergraduate students at Binghamton University or another undergraduate institution. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Pearson correlations were calculated to identify the associations between diet type, Adderall usage, and mood. The primary findings suggest that individuals who take Adderall without a prescription are more likely to experience higher rates of negative affect (r=-.376**). Additionally, there was a significant correlation between diet type and Adderall dependency (r=.236*). These findings suggest that individuals who follow a typical Western diet are more likely to abuse or be dependent on Adderall, as well as experience greater rates of mood impairment than those who follow alternative diets or those who take Adderall as prescribed.